MTV India launches new cricket spoof

With the Cricket World Cup drawing closer, MTV has already started feeling the fever. The channel has launched its new show called ‘Aila Tendulkar’. The show, premiering on Saturday, February 17, is placed in the 7 pm block.

Ashish Patil, VP, Content and Creative and GM, MTV India, said, “India has three passions - cinema, curry and cricket. We’ve got cinema and curry covered, given our music and film content. Now we are going after cricket. In a way only MTV can do this best, since we are so twisted, full of humour, taking on bans, match fixing, Mandira, Dada and more.”

Speaking more on the marketing of the new show, Aditya Swamy, VP, Marketing, MTV, said, “This show is our take on cricket. There will be a lot of gags made at different cricketers. Since, MTV is about youth interest, cricket is always at the top of the mind. The brand identity that MTV has is that of unpredictability. This is something that will be seen through this show once again.”

The show will be promoted through a digital-only campaign in order to create buzz about the show – from online banners to humorous mobile content. All the new episodes of the show will first break on the channel’s website -- Mtvindia.com and wap.mtvindia.com for mobile users.

Swamy said that since media is not about TV alone, multi platforms will be explored for the marketing of the show. “Internet and digital media is very important for us,” he added.

The show is a cricket based sketch comedy strip hosted by ‘VJ Tendulkar’, or Suresh Menon. VJ Tendulkar will bring in a comic element to the show by poking fun at anything and everything associated with the sport. He will also be joined by Gag Chappel (or Ashwin Mushran), Bowel Dravid (Kunal Kumar) and Kaurav Ganguly (Gaurav Gera). Cyrus Sahukar will be the umpire and cricket commentator.

Suresh Menon added, “I am thrilled to be playing the god of all things cricket from the comfort of my restaurant called ‘Tendlya’ and eating my mother’s cricket fry.”